The Education of Katniss Everdeen
by atetheredmind
Summary: Katniss Everdeen might have been his first, but this time around, Peeta Mellark's got a few things to teach her. Sequel to "The Education of Peeta Mellark."
1. Chapter 1

_**a/n:** Here it is, the sequel to "The Education of Peeta Mellark." I originally wasn't going to write this, but I really started to miss this universe and specifically this Peeta so I had to give it a shot. I don't know what my updating schedule will be like, but hopefully I'll post regularly. I will be alternating between both Katniss' and Peeta's POVs just because TEOPM!Peeta is too fun not to get into his head! _

_Major thanks to annieoakley1 for helping me with research on this chapter (and probably going forward). Science is not my strong suit, so hopefully I won't flub something up too badly :) Hope you guys enjoy the story!_

* * *

It was the smell of bacon that greeted Katniss when she awoke, her nostrils flaring as she inhaled deeply. The fog of slumber cleared as her eyes fluttered open against the rheum plastering her lashes together, and her confusion gave way to understanding once she remembered where she was.

Peeta's apartment. Where he was apparently making breakfast. And where they'd had sex all night, after they'd left Finnick and Annie's wedding.

Katniss stretched languidly, issuing a small squeak as all the muscles in her body tightened and then released. She rolled onto her back, the sheets slipping off her naked body, but she grunted in mild discomfort when she settled on her ass and immediately rolled back over. "Ow," she whispered groggily, reaching a hand down to gingerly rub the tender skin of her bottom; it was still sore from the attention Peeta's belt had given it the previous night.

Her fingers ghosted over a particularly sore area, a small thrill ratcheting up her spine as she recalled the events of the night before. That had been a whole new side to Peeta she hadn't expected. In college, the sex between them had been great, but he had always been tentative, green, eager to let her take the reins in bed. And she liked that, she really did. But in the six years since then, she'd learned that she really liked someone else to take over sometimes, too, to take charge and completely dominate her. In all her previous dating, she'd yet to find a man really interested in exploring the possibilities with her.

How had Peeta figured that out?

And who had taught him all these new tricks?

Shaking her head to mentally dislodge the thought, Katniss sat up in bed despite the protest of her sensitive flesh and snatched Peeta's discarded dress shirt off the floor. Shrugging it on, she hastily fastened a few of the buttons and then shook her hair out; she cringed as her fingers caught on a few knots, and she tousled the locks a couple times before she strode to the door, creaking it open. She padded down the hallway and paused in the entryway of the kitchen, watching Peeta from behind as he hovered over the stove.

He was shirtless, clad only in a pair of pajama pants. His curls were as disheveled as her own hair was, clearly the work of her eager fingers from the night before—when he'd finally released her hands from their restraint, that was. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, fighting a smirk as she watched the muscles in his back flex with the movements of his arms; he'd filled out more since college, too. He must have been lifting some weights in addition to the running he still clearly did. It was a laughable cliche, but he really was like a piece of art; in her hazy state of sleepy satiation, she found herself just staring at him, drinking in the sight of him.

She finally became aware of the crackle of the bacon slabs in the grease on the stove, her reverie shattering, and she moved closer, quietly, sure to not alert him until she slid her arms around his waist to pull him into a hug. Peeta jumped, startled by her appearance.

"Jesus, I forgot how stealthily you move," he greeted with a nervous chuckle, releasing the handle of the pan, but his other hand still gripped the fork. His voice was gruff, raw with sleep, so he must not have gotten up that long before her.

With a smile, she pressed her mouth between his shoulder blades. "You didn't get a reminder last night?" she murmured teasingly, and he chuckled again, poking at the bacon. He was quiet for a brief moment before he cleared his throat.

"I, uh, think you were a little too tied up to fully remind me," he said quietly, and though she couldn't see his face, she could almost hear the blush and the boyish smile in his voice. What a stark contrast from last night.

Laughing lightly, Katniss flattened her palms against his bare abdomen and stood up on her toes to peer over his shoulder. "Isn't it a little unsafe to cook shirtless around hot oil?" she asked, and he shrugged as he scooped the bacon out onto a plate atop a couple sheets of paper towels.

"I've built up a tolerance, I guess."

She ghosted her fingers over his stomach, her fingers sliding through the dusting of hair there as she felt for any hot grease scars, but he jerked against her with a gasp, nearly dropping the plate. "Stop," he laughed gruffly. Setting the fork aside, he twisted in her arms to face her. Her smile immediately widened at the sight of his eyes, crinkled at the corners from mirth, and his shy grin. They stared at each other for a moment, and she felt a warmth settle in her chest, flushing her neck and heating her cheeks. Was she blushing? It was a distinct possibility, but she wasn't sure why, especially after last night.

"Good morning," he finally murmured, resting his hands on her shoulders. She tightened her arms around him, pressing her chest to his.

"Morning."

"Sleep okay?" he asked softly, his thumbs brushing up the curves of her neck. Her lips twisted into a smirk.

"What little I got, sure."

His cheeks turned pink, and he lifted a hand to scratch his nose. "I, uh, I assume you don't have work today, right?" he asked. "It's Sunday, but I wasn't sure."

She shook her head. "Nope. I'm all yours," she said but almost immediately regretted it. That was too forward. She couldn't just assume he planned, or even _wanted,_ to spend the day with her. Or even see her after this. Maybe this was just a one-night stand for him.

Her stomach twisted at the thought, but she knew she couldn't get upset. They hadn't established any ground rules last night—beyond what she would and wouldn't allow him to do to her in bed, anyway. They hadn't talked about what any of this meant. She didn't think he was the type to hook up with her and then discard her, but she couldn't say she really knew who he was now, all these years later. Still, she didn't think she was wrong about the connection they had, the chemistry. It had been palpable at the wedding, the heat between them finally combusting in a flurry of limbs and sweat and pent-up aggression and lust.

Fuck, she was getting wet just thinking about it—and the way he was staring at her wasn't helping, his blue eyes a shade darker. She tried to swallow discreetly, wondering what he was thinking about, but then he licked his lips and broke the stare, his eyes darting around anxiously. She smiled to herself; _that _was the guy she remembered. Even with all his new-found sexual bravado, the same sweet, shy Peeta was still in there.

And that was what she had been most attracted to in college.

"Well, I made you breakfast," he said, pushing on her shoulders gently to untangle himself from her arms. He turned around and slid an oven mitt onto his hand, opening the oven door to pull out a couple slices of toast. Katniss sniffed the air and smiled.

"Cinnamon toast?"

Turning off the oven, Peeta nodded and turned back to her. "Um, I would have made you something more elaborate, but I still need to go grocery shopping. I just got busy with all the wedding stuff."

She shrugged, pulling him back into a hug. She was never going to get sick of touching him. He seemed a little more unsure than her, his hands once again settling on her shoulders awkwardly, but she smiled at him encouragingly. "This is plenty, thank you. Most mornings I just eat some oatmeal, so bacon is a real treat," she said as she nuzzled his neck, his beard scruffing her forehead. She shivered deliciously as she recalled how it had felt against her breasts and her stomach the night before. She trailed her palms up and down the path of his spine, her fingers teasingly dipping under the waistband of his pants before retreating.

A few more passes of her hands over his back and Peeta relaxed against her, wrapping his arms around her fully to engulf her in his embrace. He was so warm. He dipped his head to press the side of his face against hers, his fingers fanning through her hair to palm the crown of her head. This was nice, she thought. As great as the sex was, she just enjoyed his proximity. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him until she'd laid eyes on him at the wedding rehearsal. He'd always been a thought in the back of her mind most days since college, but his appearance brought it all racing back.

She felt him nudge her chin with his, like he was beckoning her in for a kiss, and she started to turn her head until she realized how dry and stale her mouth tasted. Wrinkling her nose, she pulled back slightly. "Morning breath," she explained apologetically, reaching behind him to grab a piece of bacon. She tore off a bite and quickly ate it while he waited patiently. "Mmm, s'good," she complimented sincerely before swallowing, then she smiled at him, angling her face back toward his. "Bacon breath, much better."

Peeta chuckled lowly, the puffs of air ghosting over her lips before his mouth grazed hers. The kiss was hesitant at first, as if they hadn't spent the night making each other come repeatedly, but soon she coaxed him into ready acquiescence, her tongue brushing against his in invitation; he swept his tongue into her mouth to taste her, making her sigh against his lips as he explored her with renewed enthusiasm.

When he finally pulled away, his face was flushed, his lips red. His eyes kept darting to her mouth, and he licked his lips again before smiling slightly. "Um, breakfast is getting cold," he reminded her, and she stuffed the rest of her bacon slice into her mouth, nodding her head. Katniss released him, and he turned around to fix their plates. She crossed over to his dining table and pulled out a chair to sit in, flinching mildly. Man, she was glad she didn't have work today. Having to sit in a hard chair all day with the state her ass was currently in would be torture. "Drink?" he called to her.

"Water is fine," she replied, watching him work as he poured her some water and then carried the food to the table, balancing her plate on her cup. She smiled her gratitude, greedily diving in as she suddenly realized how famished she was.

They ate in silence for a bit, and Katniss was acutely aware of every bite and swallow between the two of them. She watched him periodically, catching his eye when he would look at her before he broke eye contact to take a bite of his food. She didn't want to push him; she remembered how abrasive and pushy she'd been when they'd dated, and she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. She'd mellowed out some since college—_some_. She wanted him to feel at ease with her, to steer the conversation and direction of—well, whatever they were doing now.

When he glanced at her again, she smiled around her toast, and his mouth quirked in return. Clearing his throat, he sat back in his chair. "So, uh, how are you feeling this morning?" he asked conversationally, and she couldn't stop the snort of amusement.

"Well, my ass is kind of sore," she mused, arching an eyebrow at him, and his eyes widened as color filled his cheeks.

"Oh—shit, from—?" he stuttered, and she nodded, drawing her knees up to plant her heels on the edge of the chair. He let out a heavy breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "Fuck, I'm sorry, I didn't—I mean, I guess—well, I guess I got a little—I'm so sorry, do you need some ice?"

Flustered, he started to stand up, and she laughed airily, sticking her leg out to block him and force him back into his seat. "It's okay. It's not that bad. I'm just not used to the belt. I told you last night it was fine." He winced slightly and seemed unsure how to respond further, a guilty look heavy in his eyes. She pressed the ball of her foot against his knee as if to comfort him. "Peeta...I really liked it. What you did to me. All of it," she whispered, keeping her voice low so he could understand her intent. She held his gaze for a beat before drawing her foot back, and he finally nodded in acceptance. Eating the last of her toast, she sucked the crumbs and sugar off her fingers.

"Uh, you know you're not wearing any underwear, right?"

Katniss raised her eyebrows when she realized his eyes were focused on the juncture of her thighs, though he was obviously trying not to stare so blatantly. She'd actually forgotten, but she smirked seductively at him. "What? Do you find this distracting?" she asked innocently, parting her thighs ever so slightly under his gaze. If it were possible, his eyes grew larger. She laughed heartily at his comical expression. "I'm sorry, I'm just messing with you. Am I making you uncomfortable? I'll stop."

He made a sound in the back of his throat, something between a laugh and a cough, and he shook his head to force his eyes away from her groin. "No, not uncomfortable, just—hard."

That surprised her. Her eyebrows raised, and she grinned at him, pleased with his blunt admission. Biting her lip, she took pity on him and modestly closed her thighs, moving to shift her position in the chair, but he suddenly grabbed the seat and yanked her toward him, causing her legs to fall open. "What—" she started to say, surprised, but then she gasped when his hand dipped between her thighs, his thumb barely rubbing her clit.

"Is _this _distracting?" he asked, his voice dropping an octave. Her mouth hung open in shock as she tried to fathom the change in his demeanor, but when he slid his thumb down to trace her slit, she arched against the back of the chair with a small moan, her hands curling around the edges of the chair.

"_Ohh—_god, no, it feels _good_," she gasped out, her eyes falling shut as his thumb slid up and down her folds, collecting the moisture seeping out of her as her body responded to his touch. With his free hand, he draped her legs over his thighs and pulled her hips forward to angle them up some, resuming his attention on her clit as he rubbed small circles over it.

He was quiet while he worked her over, just her breathy moans filling the silence of the room. Her hips began to rock, trying to create more friction between his thumb and her clit, but he stopped then, slowly unbuttoning her shirt to expose her chest; he spread it open, dragging his palms over her breasts, and she pushed her chest into his hands. "Peeta," she whimpered, and her head dipped back as his hand fell between her legs again to resume his ministrations on her clit. When she felt the wet suction of his mouth on her nipple, she gasped out loud. "Fuck, that feels good. Don't stop," she pleaded, and he sucked harder, his thumb moving faster. She felt the pleasure surging quickly. "Oh god, I'm gonna come, Peeta."

"Good," he murmured around the tip of her breast, his tongue flicking over the pebbled bud before he tugged it between his teeth. That was all she needed; her thighs clamped shut around his hand, and she came, her clit pulsing as her orgasm ripped through her.

"Fuck!" she cried out as her body convulsed, squirming in her chair. The movements of his thumb became leisurely, an after-thought, and he kissed his way up her chest and her neck to her mouth as her heartbeat slowed. Dazed, she half-heartedly returned his kiss, blinking her eyes open when he pulled away. He smiled at her and sat back, looking pleased with himself, and he refastened the shirt for her.

She laughed abruptly, feeling slightly delirious. "Oh my god, you are something else these days," she panted giddily as she stared up at him. His cheeks were ruddy, and his blue eyes twinkled. Her own gaze dropped to his lap, the sight of his obvious erection drawing another smile from her, and she leaned forward to rub him through his pants. "Let me return the favor," she purred, and his eyes fluttered shut for a moment before he blinked them open, prying her hand off of him. She frowned immediately at the refusal.

"Ah, wait, Katniss. I, uh, got a little carried away, sorry, but—I really think we should...talk first. Is that okay?" His eyes were imploring; his words made her uneasy, but she relented, schooling her face into a neutral expression.

"Okay, sure. What about exactly?" she asked, demurely closing her legs and sitting up straighter in her chair.

He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes flicking around the living room. She felt nerves beginning to roil in her stomach; she wasn't normally a paranoid person, but now she couldn't help wondering if this was where Peeta was going to give her the brush-off. She tried to tell herself she'd be fine, but the dread was rising in her throat. Finally, Peeta met her eyes and quirked a nervous smile at her. "Well, I'm—I don't know where you're at, necessarily, but I'm, uh, interested in seeing...where this goes between us. If you are," he stopped to clear his throat with a slight cough. "I just, I think we should—do it the smart way. Be safe, you know, like how we, um...you know, the first time we started...having sex."

She blinked as he blushed mildly, relief flushing through her veins. "Oh." He just wanted them to get tested again. He anticipated seeing her beyond today. She laughed. "Of course. I mean, I don't even think I've had sex since my last exam—" she faltered, a little embarrassed at her admission. And her last pap smear had been almost six months ago. Work kept her busy and pretty single these days. She glanced away, brushing some hair behind her ear. "I just mean, I've still got those results, but I can always run by a clinic this week to be safe."

Peeta nodded. "Ah, yeah. I can take care of that this week, too," he said quietly. She briefly wondered when the last time was that he'd had sex but just as quickly stuffed the thought down. It was going to be a process getting used to this new lothario side to him. Smiling slightly, she leaned over and pulled herself into his lap, straddling his thighs. He raised his eyebrows, his hands coming to rest on her hips.

"So, does this mean you want to date me or have sex with me?" she asked wryly, rocking her center against his erection. It had softened some during their discussion, but she felt him responding instantly to her ministrations, and she hummed her pleasure as his cock restimulated her clit.

He groaned, his head falling back. "I—ah, are they mutually exclusive?" he asked, guiding her hips with his hands to aid her rocking. Grinning, she leaned forward to press her mouth to his.

"No, but I just didn't want anymore ambiguity this time around," she murmured, her tongue flicking against his lips as she spoke. He tasted like cinnamon sugar. She pivoted her hips harder against his, and he grunted, bucking into her. His eyes were squeezed shut, his nostrils flared as he breathed heavily.

"I—I want to date you, but I most definitely wanna fuck you right this moment," he gasped into her mouth, and she cooed softly, moving faster as she felt the pleasure funneling between her thighs.

"Then you should do that right now because I'm about to come," she moaned, gasping in delight when he stood up abruptly and hoisted her into his arms. Her legs tightened around his waist, and their mouths bumped together frantically as they kissed, Peeta steering them into his bedroom. He set her down on the bed and forced her onto her hands and knees before he crossed to the nightstand to grab a condom. Biting her lip, she hiked the shirt up to her waist and slumped forward, reaching between her thighs to absently rub her swollen clit. A soft moan tumbled from her lips, drawing his attention as he hastily moved to sheath himself with the prophylactic.

"Stop that," he chastised, rolling the condom down his cock and stepping out of his pants. She smiled wickedly at him, deliberately ignoring his command.

"No, you got me so close," she effected a pathetic whine as he knelt down on the bed behind her. She pouted when he jerked her hand away, pinning it behind her.

"Yeah, and I'm gonna finish you, just not yet," he said sternly, and she had to fight another smile as he positioned her ass in front of him, the head of his cock sliding against the tender flesh of her bottom. She _really _liked this confident side of Peeta. He released her hand, and she fisted both of her hands in the sheets around her, already arching back to meet him. "Do you need lube?" he asked, holding his cock in hand as he slid the tip up and down her slick folds to tease her.

She cringed, knowing how sore she already was from the previous night, but she didn't want to stop to bother with the lube now. "No. I need you to fuck me, Peet-_ahh_!" The last syllable hitched in a gasp when he pushed into her. "Shit!" she cried as he stretched her with a few more quick, shallow thrusts, her fingers tightening in the sheets. He was so big, filling her completely and then some—she didn't know if she would ever get used to the feeling. Not that she wanted to. The pain of the initial intrusion each time was oddly exhilarating; once she adjusted, she never felt more full. It satisfied something primal inside her.

Burying her face in the mattress, she muffled her increasingly shrill cries, her body already going slack with his forceful thrusts. She whimpered when he stopped momentarily to reposition their bodies, pinning her legs between his instead of kneeling between hers, and she cried out when he pushed into her again with a grunt. "_Fuck_, that—god, you're so big, Peeta," she choked out, the angle tightening her walls around him, making the fit of him inside her even more snug.

"And you're, so, fucking, _tight_," he gasped, his thrusts punctuated by each word. She wasn't sure what was louder: her moans or the sound of their bodies colliding rhythmically. Peeta suddenly slumped down on top of her, trapping her body underneath his, but he didn't stop thrusting, wedging his hand under her pelvis to find her clit. She arched her head back to moan in relief, gyrating against his hand to spur her orgasm on. He was heavy on top of her, but she didn't care; she was too delirious with pleasure to care about anything beyond the way his cock slid in and out of her as his fingers stroked her clit. He pressed the side of his face against hers, panting in her ear.

"I can't—I can't wait to go down on you," he gasped, his hips curving against her ass frantically as he fucked her. He palmed the side of her face to turn her head toward his some, sloppily pushing her hair off her sticky skin. "I wonder—if your pussy still tastes the same."

She moaned pathetically, trying to buck back against him, but his weight prevented most movement. His fingers moved faster, desperate to get her off. "I want your dick in my mouth so bad, Peeta," she whimpered. "I want—_ah!—_I wanna suck you off and make you come so hard."

He made a pitiful, whining sound, the force of his thrusts now actually sliding her up and down the mattress some. That was giving her the extra friction on her clit that she craved, and she shouted into the mattress, every muscle in her body tightening as the pleasure snapped through her. Peeta groaned as her walls fluttered around his cock, encouraging his own orgasm.

"Fuck, fuck," he chanted, thrusting roughly. "I'm gonna come just thinking about your mouth on my dick, Katniss—_fuck_." His words died on a throaty grunt, and he stilled on top of her as he spilled into the condom, his hips undulating just barely until he stopped moving. His breaths were hot on the back of her neck, and she could feel his heartbeat through her back, syncing with her own racing heart. She felt dazed, unable to open her eyes or move while she gathered her bearings. When he finally moved off her to lie down beside her, she stretched her legs out, flattening out onto her stomach. Peeta just lay on his back, still breathing hard as he stared at the ceiling. He didn't even bother to take the condom off yet.

Katniss stared at him, observing his profile, the slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. And then she laughed, an involuntary giggle bursting from her lungs. He blinked and turned to look at her. "What?" he asked, confused.

She shook her head. "I don't know," she gasped out. "That was—I just—I mean, _shit_. You just keep surprising me." She guessed she could add dirty talking to the list of his newly acquired skills in the bedroom. Pushing herself up onto her shaky arms, she reached a hand down and peeled the condom off for him. He watched her tie it off and stand up, wobble slightly, and then cross to the bathroom. She left the door open as she discarded the used condom in the trash with all the ones from the night before and rinsed herself off. When she returned, he was sitting up and reaching for his pants, but she pushed him back down to the bed and crawled on top of him. "Nuh uh."

He looked surprised, but a shy smile teased the corners of his mouth. "What do you mean, 'nuh uh'?" he asked as she pinned his shoulders to the bed. "You can't possibly expect me to be ready to go again already—"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Relax, Mellark. I don't think my vagina can take much more of that just yet." He looked like he was about to apologize, so she interrupted him, stretching out on top of him and resting her head on his chest. "I just want to nap. I'm sleepy." As if to emphasize her point, she yawned. Two orgasms really took it out of her.

"Oh," he chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around her. Their skin was slick and sweaty but cooling rapidly, and it was comforting having his flesh pressed against hers. His breathing had evened out finally, his chest pitching only mildly with his soft wheezing. "And, uh, I can't put pants on for that?"

She frowned, tilting her face up to nuzzle his beard. "And have to waste time taking them off again when we wake up?" she teased, smiling when his chest rumbled with amusement.

* * *

When she heard the doorbell, Katniss hopped off the couch and crossed to the front door, flinging it open. She grinned immediately at the sight of her sister, Prim, on the other side. "Hey!" she greeted enthusiastically, pulling the younger woman into a hug.

Prim squeezed her back. "Whoa, hey, that's a really enthusiastic greeting for just returning your dress," she said with a laugh, pulling back to thrust the red garment into her sister's hands. Katniss shrugged and led her inside, unable to fight the smile on her face. Prim had borrowed one of her dresses for a med school function over the weekend; she'd recently finished college and had been accepted to the UNC School of Medicine. "Thanks, by the way. It worked perfectly."

"You're welcome. And what, can't I be happy to see my baby sister?" she hummed as Prim shut the door. Katniss threw the dress over the back of a dining room chair and turned to face Prim, who was regarding her suspiciously.

"Maybe if we didn't see each other regularly," she said, tapping her chin with her finger as she studied her. Then her face broke into a sly grin. "You got laid, didn't you?"

Katniss' jaw dropped. "What?!" She flushed, realizing she couldn't really deny the truth. "No, that's not why—"

Prim's eyebrows shot up. "So you _did _get laid!" she crowed, and Katniss rolled her eyes, cursing the blush that revealed her. Now that her little sister was older and with a sex life of her own, they swapped stories of their escapades pretty regularly. But it still embarrassed Katniss, just a little.

"Okay, so maybe I did," she admitted, picking at a nonexistent pill on the dress.

"Well, tell me! Oooh, was it someone at the wedding? Who was he?" Prim pried, plopping down on the couch to make herself comfortable.

Katniss leaned against the table, clearing her throat. "Well...actually, it was Peeta." She watched her sister's face as Prim stared at her blankly for a split second before recognition dawned on her. Her mouth puckered into the shape of an O, her eyes widening with both excitement and incredulity.

"Peeta? As in, the guy you dated in college, _that _Peeta?" she asked in disbelief. Katniss pursed her mouth, nodding her head. "What the hell?! How did that happen? I'm so lost! I didn't even know you two kept in touch!"

Katniss shrugged. "We didn't. We hadn't talked since we broke up. Until the rehearsal dinner the other night."

Prim just shook her head, flabbergasted. "I'm still so confused. Fill me in!"

Biting her lip, Katniss shuffled over to the couch and sat down next to Prim, who pulled her legs up to curl them underneath her. "I don't know, when I saw him, I just...I remembered why I'd liked him so much in college. I don't know. It was exciting. And, god, he's just so attractive, Prim," she whined, making her sister laugh.

"I remember!"

"Anyway, we talked at the wedding, got caught up a little, hashed out the breakup some. It felt good. Things were going well, and we just...we went back to his place and had sex. A lot."

"Oh my god," Prim squealed under her breath. "This sounds like a movie." She leaned closer, arching an eyebrow. "How was the sex?"

Katniss caught the corner of her lip between her teeth, trying and failing to stop the smile. "Prim...it was amazing. The best sex I've ever had. The six years did him good."

Prim laughed again, shaking her head. "Wow, that's so crazy, Katniss. So what happens now? Are you two dating?"

"Well, we talked about it this morning, and I think that's what we both want," Katniss explained, folding her legs underneath her to mirror her sister's posture. "He wants to make me dinner tomorrow night so we can talk some more about things."

Prim squinted at her, grinning deviously. "And have more sex, I presume."

Katniss laughed, feeling her face heat up. She couldn't deny it, though. "God, I hope so."

"Good. You know, I always liked Peeta," her sister said, nodding in approval. "Well, before y'all broke up. I was really sad about it, and then I hated him for a little while for your sake. But I'm glad he realized the errors of his ways." Prim sniffed with an air of faux haughtiness, and Katniss rolled her eyes. "He was stupid to break up with you, and he knows it. Now, tell me more about Peeta. I want to know what's got you so smitten by him again!"

* * *

After knocking on the door to Peeta's apartment, Katniss unnecessarily smoothed her dress down and tousled her hair, running her finger tip under her eyes to wipe away any errant eyeliner smudges. When she heard the doorknob turning, she straightened up, a wide smile immediately slipping into place as Peeta appeared in the doorway. God, he was attractive. It was almost painful.

"Hey," she said, and he smiled at her, almost shyly, as he opened the door wider.

"Hey, um, you look great," he replied, his eyes sweeping down her form. She didn't miss the way his gaze lingered on her exposed legs. "Beautiful, I mean."

Her grin widened, and she stepped over the threshold, pushing up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips in greeting. Only when she pulled back slightly and caught the surprise in his eyes did she rethink the gesture. "Too much?" she asked, mildly apologetic—she always forgot how less affectionate he was than her.

But he shook his head. "No—it's fine. It's not too much, I mean," he said, his hand coming up to rest on her hip as his other hand closed the door behind her. He was effectively holding her in place, so she was curious to see what he was doing; she lifted her eyebrows slightly when he cupped her cheek, lowering his face to hers. His eyes seemed to be searching hers before he captured her lips in another, more thorough kiss, his tongue parting her lips and probing her mouth. She pressed against him and loosely gripped his wrist, eagerly returning his searching kiss. Kissing him was another thing she would never tire of.

A loud beep disturbed the moment, and Peeta turned his head to glance into the kitchen. When he looked back down at her, his eyes glassy, he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I should—I gotta get back to the food," he explained, releasing her.

Katniss licked her lips of his lingering taste and coyly returned his smile. "Okay," she agreed as he stepped away and crossed into the kitchen. She set her purse down and slipped her flats off near the door before wandering toward the bar. "Can I help you with anything?" she offered, watching as he pulled a couple steaks out of the oven.

He set the pan down and removed his oven mitt, shaking his head. "No, I'm almost done. Just need to saute the spinach, and then dinner will be ready," he said and flipped the oven off, then he dumped a bowl of the greens into a heated skillet. His gaze flickered back to her. "Um, you can go ahead and open the bottle of wine if you want, actually. You still like Cabernet Sauvignon, right?"

With a smile, Katniss circled the bar to pad into the kitchen, picking up the bottle he left on the counter. "Yeah, you remembered?"

"Well, it was the only wine I can remember you mentioning you liked when we—uh, before," he said to her over his shoulder, stirring the spinach leaves and the oil in the skillet. "And it goes well with steak."

Locating a corkscrew in a drawer, Katniss quickly uncorked the wine and poured some into the glasses he'd set out. "I'm touched," she told him, swirling the wine in the glass before taking a sip. Then she hoisted herself up onto the counter to watch him cook. "So, what are we having tonight?" she asked, sniffing the air. She smelled garlic and beef and something else—rosemary, she thought it was.

"Um, I've made beef tenderloin steaks topped with Gorgonzola, baby red potatoes with rosemary and sauteed spinach with garlic. Sound okay?"

She smiled at his back. "Sounds wonderful, Peeta." After another sip of her wine, she set it down and hopped off the counter, snatching up his glass to carry it to him. She wedged herself beside him next to the stove, offering him the glass. He glanced helplessly between the wine and the pan, his hands occupied, and she grinned at him, raising the glass to his lips. Understanding flashed across his face, and he parted his mouth slightly so she could tip the cup and pour some of the wine into his mouth. She pulled it away, and he swallowed, offering her a grateful smile.

"Thank you," he murmured, and she just winked at him, squeezing his forearm before she backed away, grabbing her glass and taking the two cups to the dining table. "You can sit down. I'll bring the food out in a moment."

Katniss picked the chair she had sat in her first morning at his place, smiling when she recalled what he'd done to her in it, and she placed their wine glasses down, crossing her legs to wait patiently. A moment later, Peeta emerged from the kitchen with two plates. Sliding one in front of her, he grabbed the seat next to her and sat down.

"This all looks and smells so wonderful, Peeta," she gushed as she took in the full plate of food, inhaling deeply. He seemed to blush at her compliment, ducking his head to take another sip of his wine.

"Uh, thank you. I have a lot of time to kill these days while I wait to start my residency, so I figured I should put that free time to good use," he explained, and she picked up her glass, holding it out toward him to initiate a toast. Blinking in surprise, he raised his cup as well.

"Well, thank you, again, for cooking dinner for me, Peeta. Here's to," she paused only briefly as she searched for the right words and then smiled at him, "a fresh start." He echoed the words softly, quirking a smile at her as they tapped glasses, and then they both took a sip. Swallowing the wine, she set her glass down and picked up her fork and knife. "I hope you didn't spend all day cooking for me," she teased as she cut into her steak, and he smiled.

"Ah, no. The cooking actually didn't take that long, but I had to plan it out and buy the ingredients," he said quietly, mimicking her actions with his own silverware. "I've been helping at my parents' bakery in my time off, so I was over there for most of the day."

"That's fun," she quipped, popping the piece of steak into her mouth. Chewing a few times, she moaned as the taste exploded on her tongue. "Oh my god, this is heavenly," she gushed around her mouthful, her manners completely forgotten. It was perfectly tender and juicy. He smiled in gratitude, biting into his own steak.

"Thank you," he said after he'd swallowed. "Um, glad you like it."

He'd never made anything she didn't like. She was silent as she sampled everything else on her plate, and then she sighed happily. "So good," she muttered as she ate.

Peeta cleared his throat, setting his fork down to sip his wine, and then he ruffled his curls. "Um, so how was your day? How was work?" he asked, and she shrugged, smiling at him.

"It was good, kind of stressful today. At the moment, I'm leading a research project on studying the antibodies in the human body to the dengue virus."

His brow furrowed. "Oh, wow. Sounds intense. How is that coming?"

She shrugged and twirled her fork between her fingers. "It's coming along. We're mapping out all the monoclonal antibodies in the human body right now. We get to do some cryo-EM soon, which should be really interesting, and then we'll eventually get to do some tests on the mouse model, too," she said, scooping some spinach into her mouth. She glanced up at Peeta, who was watching her with keen, genuine interest, his head nodding just slightly as she talked. A smile spread across her face, unbidden. It was such a relief talking about her job as a research scientist with someone who understood, or at least had a working knowledge of her field and what she did. Many of her boyfriends in the past hadn't, and their eyes often glazed over when she would talk about her day or work. Her last boyfriend, Mark Gloss, had been a software engineer. She hadn't much understood his job, either.

Katniss divulged more about her work while they ate, and Peeta watched her, his blue eyes shining with interest. He got up at one point to retrieve the wine bottle, and they gradually drained it as they continued to swap stories about work and school for the next couple of hours.

She couldn't remember the last time she had enjoyed just _talking _with a guy so much.

* * *

_Find me on tumblr: **fuckingplebe**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**a/n:** Thank you all for the response and reviews so far! I hope your enthusiasm for the story will endure :) This chapter is from Peeta's POV, if that's not immediately apparent. As I said in the first chapter, I'll be alternating every other chapter._

* * *

Peeta was going stir-crazy. He hadn't had this much time off since the summer after his last year of undergrad—four years ago. And he still had more than a week until his orientation at Duke for the pediatric residency program. Finnick was off on his honeymoon with Annie, and Thresh and Thom weren't really local anymore; a lot of his med school friends had left the state or had already started up their residencies, so he was kind of left to his own devices for the time being. He tried to help out at his parents' bakery when he could, but as they had hired help, there was little need for him there. Sometimes he went in just to bake and decorate cakes for the hell of it; of course, he brought his own ingredients. If his mother thought he was wasting the bakery's supplies, she would lose her shit.

But that only occupied so much of his time, so during the rest of his downtime, he painted and worked out. It was all a distraction until he could see Katniss again, anyway. God, he was 20 all over again and utterly smitten—so much so he was using words like "_smitten_." The effect this woman had on him, fuck.

That morning, Peeta had gone for a run on the American Tobacco Trail so he wasn't just sitting around all day, covering 13 miles in all. It had taken him approximately an hour and 45 minutes, and then he'd headed back to his apartment before it got too hot outside. He'd taken his time as he'd showered; he had briefly entertained the idea of relieving himself—all this free time meant he spent most of it fantasizing about Katniss (although he suspected even if he was working, he'd still be fantasizing about her)—but had decided he was too exhausted to crank one out right then.

Now, freshly clean, he made a quick lunch, promptly devoured it, and then collapsed on the couch to watch some mindless TV. He'd just started to drift off when his phone alerted him to a text message. Sighing, he rolled onto his side to snatch his phone off the coffee table. When he looked at the screen, his face lit up. It was a text from Katniss.

_So I stopped by Planned Parenthood on lunch and got tested. Should have the results in a few days, just FYI ;)_

That's what he could do today—get tested. Sitting up, he typed a quick response: _That's great. I'll take care of that today too._

He waited a moment for her reply, which came in two quick-fire texts:

_:)  
Hey, if you're free tonight, wanna come to my place for pizza and beer and...whatever?_

He grinned to himself, his pulse already spiking at the prospects. _Absolutely. Want me to pick up the pizza or beer?_

_Nope, just bring yourself :) You can come over at 8.  
See you tonight!_

Peeta sent her a parting message and sat back on the couch, lapsing into a daydream as he began to entertain the possibilities for the night. God, having sex with her was incredible. There was just something about her that drove him crazy, something that his body responded to that he hadn't experienced with anyone else since her. Ever. Not to the same degree, anyway. His cock was stiffening in his lounge shorts as he thought about the other night, after their date at his apartment; the sex hadn't been anything too elaborate that time, as Katniss had work the next morning and had to leave afterward, but even just remembering the way she rode him that night, and then, later, the way she writhed underneath him, her pink lips parting with her cries as he made her come—

He groaned, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. Fuck. He couldn't think about that right then. He needed to take care of something else first.

Peeta considered his options before pulling up another contact on his phone. Clove. She was in the obstetrics and gynecology residency program at UNC, and he was fairly certain she'd already started. They had dated in med school and were still friends; they didn't see each other that much, but they still kept in touch occasionally. It was an uncomplicated friendship he was grateful for.

_Hey, random question but are you at the hospital today?_

He was surprised it didn't take her long to respond. _Yeah, what's up?_

He hesitated a moment before replying. _How would you like some real world practice?_

* * *

"You know, dicks and vaginas really aren't the same thing," Clove said dryly as she discreetly guided Peeta into a medical supply closet, flipping the light on.

He shrugged sheepishly. "Well, the procedure might be a little different, but you'll get some experience with testing the samples, at least," he told her as she shut the door behind him.

She rolled her eyes. "I feel like this favor is more for your sake, so you're lucky I like you, Mellark." She planted her hands on her hips and eyed him critically. "Now drop trou'."

Coughing nervously, Peeta unfastened his pants and pushed them down his hips. He forced himself to push his boxer-briefs down and pulled out his flaccid penis as she grabbed a step ladder and sat down in front of him. Her face was level with his crotch, but there was nothing sexy about the moment at all. That was why he'd gone to her—not that he would have gotten aroused with some strange nurse at a clinic, but he trusted Clove; he was more comfortable with her examining his junk than someone he didn't know. She was clinical and professional and would be able to get the results to him sooner than anywhere else.

Clove whistled suddenly as she tugged on some latex gloves. "Wow, I almost forgot what a magnificent specimen of the male genitalia you have, Mellark," she teased, gingerly holding it in her hand to inspect.

Or not. He groaned and rubbed his closed eyes.

"You should work on your bedside manner, Clove," he chastised, staring up at the ceiling. "Complimenting patients on their genitals is generally frowned upon and grounds for a lawsuit."

She snickered, reaching into her coat pocket to pull out a plastic Ziploc bag and cotton swab. "Luckily, I'll be staring at vaginas all day, so this won't really be a problem," she said, opening the bag and extracting the swab. "Okay, this might hurt, yada yada—I'm sure you know the drill."

Peeta squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed a grunt when he felt her insert the swab into his urethra. It didn't last long, thankfully, and he sighed when she pulled away. "You're all done," she declared, dropping the swab into the bag and sealing it shut. Then she snapped her gloves off and stood up as he tucked himself back into his pants.

"Thanks, Clove, I really appreciate it," he said gratefully, flashing her a smile, and she lifted one shoulder in a shrug, shoving her gloves into her pocket.

"Yeah, sure. It'll give me some time in the lab, at least," she said dismissively. "I'll text you later to let you know the results." He nodded, looking at her expectantly as he waited for her to open the door, but she smirked suddenly, folding her arms over her chest.

"So, who's the lucky girl?" she asked, tilting her head. He flushed, running a hand through his hair.

"Um, just this girl...Katniss. We used to date in college—"

Clove let out an incredulous bark of laughter. "Wait, Katniss—_the_ Katniss?"

He blinked. "How do you know Katniss?"

She widened her eyes at him. "You talked about her all the time in med school! Well, mostly when you were drunk. Maybe you don't remember," she said with a laugh. He blushed.

"Oh." He tried to sift through his hazy recollections of his times with Clove; he guessed he did remember mentioning Katniss once or twice...God, if he was drunk, he could only imagine the amount of whining he did. He'd tried to tell himself back then that was he was over her, but clearly he'd only been deluding himself. "Er...well, yeah, that's her. We, uh, reconnected at our friends' wedding last weekend. So..."

She just shook her head, still smiling. "Well, good luck this time around, Mellark. Maybe if you show her some of those moves I taught you, she'll stick around," she said with a smirk before throwing the door open, and he sighed, following her out.

That was his plan, at least.

* * *

As Peeta approached Katniss' apartment, he felt his nerves kick in; he might have been pretty familiar with her by now—and he might have fucked her six ways to Sunday—but she still made him nervous and antsy. It would take him awhile to get used to the feeling again, but at least he was better at pretending to be unaffected these days. He wiped his sweaty palm on his jeans. Well, mostly unaffected.

Knocking on her door, he shifted the container of cookies in his other hand and then ruffled his curls anxiously while he waited for her to open the door. He heard the lock click and straightened his back as the door swung open. His breath hitched in his throat when she appeared in the doorway, a wide smile on her face framed by her braid. She wore a loose top that hung off her shoulder, giving him a glimpse of her teal bra strap and a pair of very short shorts, leaving most of her legs exposed. He smiled reflexively as he took her in. Even understated, she was beautiful.

"Hey," she greeted, grabbing his hand to pull him inside. "Good timing, the pizza just arrived a couple minutes ago." Their bodies were flush as she closed the door behind him, and then she wrapped an arm around his shoulders, standing up on her toes to kiss him. His hand settled on her hip, and he flicked his tongue against hers briefly when she parted his mouth with her lips. But she pulled away too soon, still smiling up at him. "Thanks for coming," she murmured, and he released her so she could step back.

"Yeah, uh, thanks for inviting me," he said, wanting to kick himself. She always made him tongue-tied. He held the cookies out to her. "I know you said not to bring anything, but, um, I hate showing up empty-handed, so..."

Her eyes widened as she took the container from him, and she shook her head with a disbelieving laugh. "Peeta! I swear—I mean, I'm not going to turn down free treats, but you're making me look bad," she teased, and he felt a little sheepish.

"I'm sorry, I just—"

She waved him off. "No apologies! We can have these for dessert," she declared, examining them. "Oh! Chocolate chip—are these the ones I've had before?" He nodded, and she grinned. "I remember. These are so good."

She directed him into the kitchen and gestured to the box of pizza. "Help yourself," she said, handing him a plate. "I got a veggie pizza with pepperoni, peppers, onions, olives but no mushrooms. Just like you like it, right?" she asked, eyeing him, and he nodded, impressed. She smiled triumphantly. "See? I remember, too." He grinned when she bumped his hip with her own, waiting for him to grab a couple slices before putting some on her own plate. "Oh, I got Yuengling, too," she said, moving to the fridge to get two cans of beer for them.

He smiled his thanks when she handed him one, then followed her into the living room. They sat down on the couch, and Katniss curled up beside him, balancing her plate on her thigh to crack open her beer. Peeta followed suit, and soon they were settled in, only barely watching some movie she'd selected while they ate and talked.

After a few slices of pizza, three beers and a cookie, Peeta was feeling rather content and relaxed; he was slumped down in his seat on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table. Katniss was curled up at his side facing him, her feet tucked under his thigh. She was only on her second beer, but he could tell it was affecting her a little more than it was him. Her cheeks were flushed, her gray eyes gleamed a more mercurial color than normal, and she was even more affectionate with him than she normally was.

It was adorable. God, what kind of grown man used the word "adorable"? He wanted to smack himself—how did she do this to him?

"You are gonna be so bad for my waistline," Katniss sighed, finishing the last bite of her second cookie. He snorted and shook his head.

"Yeah, right. I can wrap both my hands around your waist as it is," he joked, leaning his head back on the couch, and she scoffed.

"No, you can't." At his look, she raised her eyebrows in challenge and pulled her feet out from under him, shifting onto her knees. "Show me then."

Laughing, he set his beer down on the coffee table and then twisted to face her. He snuck his hands under her shirt to grab her waist, wrapping them just under her rib cage. She squirmed with laughter, but he held her upright; his fingers didn't touch, but she still felt tiny in his hands. "See? Pretty close."

Katniss shook her head, grinning at him. "Yeah, right. All my weight goes to my ass, anyway." Cocking an eyebrow, Peeta released her waist and slid his hands down to cup her ass.

"Well, uh, that fits pretty nicely in my hands, too," he said, his face heating up at his boldness, and she snorted with laughter, pushing on his chest.

"Did you just do that to cop a feel?" she accused good-naturedly, and he shrugged. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his in a quick kiss before she bounced off the couch. "Do you need another beer?" she asked, tipping her can back to finish the last of hers. Peeta shook his head.

"Nah, still working on this one," he said, grabbing it off the coffee table. Katniss shuffled around the couch into the kitchen. He swigged his beer as he listened to her move around; he heard the clatter of aluminum in the recycling bin and then the sink running before she opened the fridge and popped the tab on her third beer. He smiled at her when she returned, climbing over him to resume her spot beside him and sliding her feet under his thigh again. He caught a whiff of something fragrant, and he sniffed the air. "Is that raspberry?"

"Hm?" she hummed as she took a sip of her beer, and then she nodded, pulling the can back. "Oh, yeah, just my handsoap. My fingers felt sticky from the chocolate." She shoved her hand up to his nose for him to smell, grinning at the look he shot her, but he lightly gripped her hand and inhaled the scent to humor her. Nodding his head, he released her hand, and she tugged playfully on his beard.

"Do you know how they make that raspberry smell?" he asked conversationally, dropping his hand on her leg to absently stroke her smooth knee. She squinted at him as she thought.

"I don't think so. How? They don't just use, like...raspberries?"

He tilted his head some to smile at her. "They use castoreum from the castor sacs of beavers. Or, you know, their anal scent glands."

Her eyes widened. "What?!" She let out a bark of laughter. "You're making that up." Peeta just grinned at her, holding his hands up.

"No, I swear to god, that's how they do it. The liquid they secrete when they mark their territory smells like raspberries. They also use castoreum in some food products, too."

Katniss scrunched her face in horror but burst into laughter. "Oh my god, why would you tell me this?" she asked, taking another swallow of her beer. Grinning, he shrugged.

"Thought you might like to know you're basically rubbing a beaver's ass on your hands when you wash them with that soap, I guess."

She rolled her eyes, a wide smile still stretching her lips. "I didn't realize you were such an expert on beaver ass," she teased, leaning closer. He scratched his nose sheepishly.

"I didn't mean to be, but I used to read the ingredients on some of the food coloring and flavorings when I worked in my parents' bakery growing up and would look them up later when I was bored. Just curious, I guess..." he explained, trailing off when her face neared his. A flush crept up his neck.

"Mmhmm," she breathed before molding her lips to his. Her tongue teased the curve of his top lip before tracing the seam and parting his mouth. Katniss curled her hand into the collar of his shirt to hold him in place as she searched his mouth, her tongue stroking his before retreating to lick at his teeth and nip at his lips. Peeta let his jaw go slack for the most part, granting her access to do as she pleased, returning the caresses of her tongue when she got more aggressive and demanding. He felt his pants tightening as his cock swelled in response to her ministrations. He awkwardly tried to wrap his free arm around her waist to pull her closer, but she broke away abruptly. Grabbing his beer from him and setting both of their cans down on the coffee table, she turned back to him. This time, he pulled her against him, letting her push him down on the couch so she could crawl on top of him.

He laughed weakly, already feeling dazed as the blood continued to rush to his cock. "So, uh, I guess beaver ass is what does it for you?" he joked as her lips brushed his again teasingly. She chuckled in amusement, her thighs spreading to settle on either side of his hips, and she purposefully ground down on his erection, eliciting soft groans from them both.

"Yep, you found my fetish," she murmured, capturing his bottom lip between her teeth and giving it a gentle pull before resuming their heated kiss from a moment ago. Bracketing her hips with his hands, he rocked her against his crotch just barely to create enough friction through their clothes to tease both of them, but he didn't want to escalate things too quickly. For a moment, he was transported back to their junior year and the many times they would make out for what felt like hours; he felt like a bumbling virgin all over again right then—except a lot less bumbling and definitely not virginal. He slipped his hands under her shirt to splay his hands across her back, the heat from her skin seeping into his palms, and she moaned lightly at the contact, sucking his tongue into her mouth.

Peeta nearly missed the vibration of his phone in his pocket, but Katniss' giggle made his eyes fly open. She pulled back slightly to speak. "Well, that was a nice touch," she gasped against his mouth, wiggling her hips on top of him, and he laughed airily, already reclaiming her lips. He was just going to ignore his phone, not even sure who would be trying to reach him at that moment—but then he remembered suddenly. _Clove_.

His eyes popped open again, and he turned his head to break the kiss, swallowing the pooling saliva in his mouth. "Ah, hold on," he apologized, hastily fumbling through his pocket to pull his phone out. Katniss lifted her hips some so he could get to it and then sat back as he glanced at his screen. It was, indeed, Clove.

_You're clean. Godspeed my friend._

He exhaled a sigh of relief; not that he had expected any differently, but it was good to know. And he could let Katniss know. Typing a quick "_Thanks I owe you_" in response and shoving his phone back into his pocket, he flashed her a sheepish smile. She raised an eyebrow in question.

"Sorry, ah, that was—I got tested earlier today, and my friend was just letting me know my results," he explained, resting his hands on her calves. "I'm clean—well, I don't have the paper results to show you just yet, obviously—I'm sure you'll want to see those—but, ah, for what it's worth, I guess..."

She furrowed her eyebrows, dropping her hands to his chest. "A friend?" she asked, laughing slightly. "Do you know someone with a home business in STD testing?"

"Ah, no. I have a friend at UNC, she just started the gynecology and obstetrics program there, and I asked for a favor—"

"_She_?" Katniss interrupted, her eyebrow twitching ever so slightly. Her expression was unreadable, but it had definitely changed from just a mere second ago. Peeta faltered. Uh oh. Had he veered into dangerous territory?

"Uhh, yeah, my friend, Clove. She—I mean, I, uh, just figured I could get the results back sooner if I went through her—I mean, not that it was _urgent_ that I get them immediately or anything, I just—there's no hurry about it, of course..." Shit. He was rambling. He could feel his palms starting to sweat from the way she was looking at him, sizing him up. He couldn't read her at all in that moment, and it unsettled him.

"Hm. And do you often let your friends inspect your junk?" she asked. Her tone was teasing, almost sarcastic, but the look in her eyes didn't quite reflect the humor. He swallowed again, sitting up on his elbows and moving his hands off her knees so he could wipe his palms on the couch cushion.

"Uh, no, of course not—she's just, uh, she's seen it before—" His words stuck in his throat as he realized the biggest pile of proverbial shit he'd just stepped in. Katniss blinked in surprise, and he rushed to add, "I mean, because we, uh, she and I used to date, I mean. A while ago!"

Oh, fuck, that wasn't much better.

"Oh." That was all Katniss offered for a moment, and Peeta tried to mask his internal panic, but he was sure it was displayed all over his face. "How long ago?" she finally asked, her hand grasping her braid to twist it between her fingers.

He shook his head. "Um, it was back in med school, my first year. We're just friends now..." he said nervously, not sure why he felt the need to defend himself, but he didn't want her to think he was playing the field while they dated. He wasn't interested in that; she had to know that. Then again...how did he know that _she _wasn't dating other guys? He frowned at the thought.

"So...you two must have been serious then," she said leadingly, her other arm crossing over her stomach loosely as she stared at him. His brow furrowed.

"Um, no? No, it wasn't...serious," he hedged, clearing his throat. "We just...we get along pretty well now, I guess, but at the time it was just—it was casual."

Her left eyebrow inched up her forehead skeptically. "So, you two had, like, a friends-with-benefits type of arrangement?" she clarified, tugging on her braid. He blinked rapidly and sat up straighter, and Katniss moved off his lap to sit back down on the couch.

"No, it wasn't—like that, no. We just...dated and...had sex," he said haltingly, exhaling a puff of air and running his hand through his hair. "It's not...a big deal."

Katniss shrugged, though she wasn't looking at him. "No, it's not. I mean, of course, you've dated since we broke up," she said evenly; he didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't. "And so have I." Which he _really _didn't want to hear about...Actually, yes, he did. Because he was a masochist, and he needed to know who he was being compared against. But not right now. Right now, he just really wanted to get back to the kissing.

Katniss was quiet for a moment, and then she took a deep breath, a peculiar look in her eyes despite the nonchalant expression on her face. "So, was she into all this kinky shit you do now?" she asked flippantly, but there was an edge to her voice. His face flamed immediately, the capillaries in his cheeks filling with blood.

"Katniss..." he warned warily, and she lifted her shoulders in another shrug.

"What? I'm just curious. We're adults, so we can talk about this maturely. You can be honest. Is she the one that taught you all this—this S&M stuff?" she pressed, waving her hand vaguely and meeting his gaze as she raised her eyebrows. Her cheeks were flushed, too, but it looked like more of an angry, splotchy reaction inflaming the area under her eyes, not an embarrassed blush. He was so confused. Why was she getting _mad_? He wasn't the one who wanted to talk about this.

Coughing slightly, he twisted so his legs slid over the edge of the couch. "Um, I guess...yeah. She was, uh, really into it, so..." he sighed, exasperated.

She was already nodding before he'd finished what he was saying, though her eyes were darting around the living room instead of looking at him. "It's just funny, I guess. You weren't like this at _all _when we dated, I mean," she replied, and he wasn't sure if that was an accusation.

"Um...well, I was still pretty, you know...inexperienced then, I guess. And Clove...helped open me up to that, I guess?" he said uncertainly, glancing over at her, but he was startled when she stood up abruptly and stepped past him. "Katniss—"

She spun back to face him, her jaw set. "I don't wanna talk about this anymore," she declared tightly. He gawked at her before he felt his own anger and defensiveness flaring up in response.

"You're the one who kept asking—"

She glared at him. "And I'm telling you to stop now. I don't want to talk about other girls you've fucked, okay?" she snapped, and he was torn between firing back and floundering in confusion. How the fuck did they get to this point?

But at that moment, she whipped her shirt off over her head to reveal her lacy bra underneath. His mouth clamped shut immediately, his eyes widening slightly as she bent over and hurriedly shimmied out of her shorts. "What are you doing?" he murmured uselessly, though it was pretty clear what she was doing. She didn't respond, kicking the garment halfway across the room in her haste. Then she stood before him in her matching teal underwear for a moment before she reached behind her to unclasp her bra. Peeta shot up then, maybe with a little too much enthusiasm, the previous conversation already forgotten, and he crossed toward her. Her hand flew up to stop him, however, and he was shocked to see the fire in her eyes as she glared at him.

"Don't," she said simply, then she shrugged her bra off, dropping it to the floor. He unconsciously licked his lips as he took in the sight of her bare breasts, her dusky nipples puckering from the exposure to the air. But she turned away then and marched into her bedroom, flipping the light on. Confused, he hesitated only briefly before following her, stopping in the doorway when she pinned him with another searing look. "Take your clothes off."

Oh. The tone of her voice left no room for questioning, elucidating her intentions for the moment: She wanted control this time.

And he would give it to her, gladly.

Silently, he pulled his shirt over his head, letting it flutter to the ground as he unfastened his jeans and pushed them down his hips to his feet. He spared her another glance before he discarded his boxer-briefs, baring his now fully erect cock. He was almost embarrassed by how excited he was at the prospect of whatever it was she wanted to do to him. Most women he'd been with always wanted him to take charge, but sometimes he liked giving up control, too. Especially when he thought about how enthusiastic and aggressive Katniss could be.

She was staring at his groin, her chest heaving slightly—from excitement or anger still, he didn't know. He waited patiently for her to make her move as she slowly unbraided her hair, combing it out with her fingers, and then she advanced on him, her eyes finally flitting up to his face to lock with his. She stopped in front of him, and he shuddered involuntarily when her nipples grazed his chest, but then she was pressing against him, enticing him into a rough kiss as she balanced herself with her hands on his shoulders. He met the strokes of her tongues eagerly, lifting his hands to grip her waist, but she slipped her own hands down his arms to pin his wrists to his sides. His cock kept brushing against the soft skin of her abdomen, and he moaned softly into her mouth, but the sound melted into a hiss when she bit down on his bottom lip, hard, pain sparking through his nerve receptors. The sensation only made his cock ache more, and he sighed when she sucked on the afflicted flesh, just as forcefully, before she stepped back and jerked him toward the bed.

He followed obediently, sitting when she pushed him down on the edge; she paused to slip off her panties quickly, then she crawled into his lap, hovering over him. He palmed the toned curve of her ass, a part of him irrationally wishing she would just mount him already and put him out of his misery, the test results be damned, but instead she wound her fingers through his curls and yanked his head back, presenting the slope of his neck. He gritted his teeth as she tugged harder on his hair, refusing to drop her stare. His pulse was pounding, and he could feel the moist heat of her arousal on his cock; it made him heady with lust and need.

Her breath was hot on his mouth as she moved her face next to his, her short nails digging into his scalp. "You only think of me when we're together, right?" she demanded darkly, the fingers on her other hand dragging across his lips and down his neck.

His nostrils flared, and he swallowed. How could she think otherwise? "I only think of you, ever," he replied, his voice low. Something dangerous and primal flickered in her eyes, and she lowered her mouth to his neck, suctioning her lips to the flesh near his clavicle. She sucked eagerly, and he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her, trying not to buck up into her every time she clamped her teeth down on his shoulder muscle, her incisors cutting into his skin. He could feel her wetness seeping onto his thigh and cock; she was torturing him.

"Katniss," he finally pleaded, digging the pads of his fingers into her hips, and she shoved him down on his back suddenly and climbed off his lap. He stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Scoot up," she told him, and he slid backward on the bed until his head hit the pillow. Katniss then settled between his legs and kneeled before him, bracing her weight on one hand while she wrapped the other around his cock. He groaned quietly, relief and pleasure flooding through him as she began to stroke him, but his eyes widened slightly when she lowered her face to his cock. She lifted her eyes to meet his, an unexpected vulnerability crossing her features.

"I can trust you, right?" she asked, and he blinked.

"I—yes, I wouldn't lie to you about that," he said firmly so there was no room for misunderstanding. She licked her lips predatorily before she descended on him, wrapping her mouth around his shaft. He groaned in relief and pressed his head back into the pillow as she took more of him into her mouth, her tongue bathing the underside of his cock generously with her saliva. She spent no time teasing him, hollowing her cheeks as she sucked on him, hard, her head bobbing with her efforts. Her hand continued to stroke him, twisting his flesh as her lips connected with her fist rather noisily.

Peeta's hips began to buck as he felt the pressure surging; he was trying to delay the inevitable, but it seemed Katniss was determined to finish him quickly, her mouth and tongue and hand unrelenting. "Fuck," he hissed when she roughly palmed his balls, encouraging him toward his orgasm. He tangled his fingers in her hair, aiding the movement of her head as she sucked him off. God, he was going to come too soon—her mouth had always felt amazing when she'd gone down on him in the past; how was it possible that she'd gotten so much better at this? "Katniss, I—I'm gonna come," he gasped, screwing his eyes shut as the tingling sensation blossomed in his balls, his sac tightening, but she released him then, emitting a satisfactory 'pop' when the head of his cock passed between her lips.

"Not yet," she ordered, wiping the dribble of spit from her lips, and he groaned pitifully, his cock throbbing angrily with the denial of his release; he pinched the bridge of his nose firmly to ward off his frustration, and Katniss climbed on top of him, careful to avoid brushing against his erection. She grabbed his hand away from his face, taking both his wrists in hand and trapping them down on the mattress, and then she kissed him wetly, heatedly, until they were both panting. When she was satisfied she had fully explored his mouth, she leaned over to rifle through the nightstand for lube and a condom. Peeta lifted his head to suck the tip of her breast into his mouth, kneading the other with his hand, and she moaned, faltering in her mission.

"Yes," she whimpered, curling her fingers through his hair and aligning her breasts with his face. He watched her face as he worried her nipples with his lips, tugging forcefully with his teeth until she yelped. Katniss pushed off his chest to sit up, her hands shaking as she hastily opened the condom and sheathed his cock with it. "Here," she directed, handing him the bottle of lube. He squeezed some into his palm and deftly coated his cock with it while she haphazardly tossed the condom wrapper aside, and when he was ready, she flattened one hand on his chest, grabbed his cock with her other, and then sank down on him until their hips were flush, stretching her entirely. He inhaled through his teeth sharply as she threw her head back, releasing her moan toward the ceiling.

"God, _yes_," she sighed before she began to gyrate her hips, slowly, torturously at first, dragging her pelvis against his. Once her breathing picked up, she slumped forward some, bracing both hands on his chest as she pivoted her hips forward, rocking against him. Peeta gripped her hips firmly, assisting the direction of her thrusts, wanting her to climax before he did; he set his jaw, fighting against his release, and he cupped her breast in his hand. She keened as he pinched and pulled on her nipple, trying to roll his hips to help stimulate her clit.

"Oh, fuck, Peeta," she mewled, moving above him faster; her mouth hung open as she sucked in air, and he squeezed her hip tighter.

"Are you gonna come?" he growled, and she nodded frantically, but her words stuck in her throat, dissolving into strangled gasps, and then she exploded with a cry, stilling suddenly on top of him as her walls fluttered around his cock. He groaned low in his throat at the sensation, watching the fluctuations in her features as her orgasm settled through her. When he could tell she was finished, he made to roll her over so he could finish fucking her senseless, but she stopped him, her face flushed and pink. Holding onto his shoulders, she leaned forward some and lifted her hips, then sank back down on his cock.

His nostrils flared as she picked up speed, and he began to thrust up into her; soon, the sound of their bodies colliding rhythmically filled the room, Katniss' loud moans drowning out his own as he drove his hips into hers. She grabbed onto the headboard to balance herself, her breasts swaying enticingly before his face, but he couldn't tear his gaze from where their bodies were joined, watching his cock disappear inside her repeatedly, the condom shiny and wet from the lube and her arousal. "Fuck," he began to chant as the tingling sensation built in his ball sac, their hips crashing together with his erratic, desperate thrusts; she was practically shouting by then, her groans growing more animalistic, but then with a grunt he pulled her down on him, hard, as he came, holding her in place and filling the condom with his semen. "Katniss," he gasped, succumbing to his orgasm. She just panted loudly, clenching her walls around him to milk his release out of him.

Once his cock finished pulsing, she slid him out of her and collapsed beside him on her stomach. Peeta waited for his heart rate to mostly return to normal before he pulled the condom off his dick, sliding out of bed to dispose of it. When he returned, Katniss still hadn't moved, her face buried in her pillow. Concerned, he lay back down beside her, placing his hand on her back.

"Hey, uh, do you need to clean up?" he asked nervously. She just nodded but made no effort to move yet. He frowned as he waited, watching her intently. Finally, she sighed and turned her head to look at him, resting her cheek on her pillow.

"Sorry," she said weakly. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"For what?"

She sighed again, lifting a hand to rub her forehead. "I didn't handle that so well. I guess I still have some...jealousy problems."

He remembered; she'd laughably thought he'd been interested in Annie back in college. But then again, he had his own jealousy issues—particularly when it came to Gale. Peeta had no idea how to respond. "Oh." He racked his brain. "It's okay..."

She laughed quietly and shook her head. "I don't know, I guess I'm just—I'm gonna have a hard time accepting that you've been with other women. I know it's dumb."

He shrugged, dropping his head to the pillow. "It's not dumb. I understand. I had a hard time thinking about you with other guys when we first dated." _Especially _Gale...

"And now?"

He made a face at the ceiling. "I guess...I can accept it. But I don't like to think about it, I guess."

She was quiet for a moment. "Maybe...I think it might be different. For me, I mean. I was your first. And...not that it matters one way or another whether you've slept with other women, but I guess...I feel kind of possessive of you. Territorial or something." She smiled wryly at him. "I told you it was dumb. And hypocritical."

He smiled slightly in return. Then he swallowed thickly, the smile dropping. "Honestly? I...wish I had been your first," he admitted, almost sheepishly. "I know that's stupid, too."

Her smile widened, and she shook her head. "Not stupid. It's sweet. In a caveman sort of way, I guess," she teased, moving closer, and he chuckled, gathering her in his arms. They lay there for a minute or two, Peeta running his fingers through her hair.

"Um, do you need me to leave soon?" he asked. "I know you gotta get up for work..."

Katniss just wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his chest. "Mmm, no. You can spend the night. You can just leave when I go to work. Is that okay?" she asked, yawning suddenly. He nodded, smiling to himself.

He couldn't think of a better way to start the day than waking up beside her.

* * *

_Hit me up on tumblr: **fuckingplebe**._


	3. Chapter 3

_**a/n:** So, so, so sorry about the wait on this one! I don't really have a good excuse other than this chapter was a beast to write for some reason. Who knew writing smut could be so challenging? Meh. So with that said, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It was hard, y'all, so I hope beyond hope that I made it worth the wait. Thank you so much to everyone who has taken and continues to take the time to review—it truly means a lot. I love to hear from you guys!_

* * *

When her alarm went off the next morning, Katniss persuaded Peeta to sleep a little longer while she showered. "You don't have to rush off yet," she whispered hoarsely in the silence of the early morning light, and he nodded groggily, already curling back up on his side and drifting back to sleep. She observed him for a moment and smiled to herself before she slipped out of her bed, stretching her arms over her head. She'd managed to put her underwear back on before they fell asleep the night before but hadn't bothered with any other clothes, so she only had to kick them off before stepping into the shower in her bathroom. She stood under the hot stream of water longer than usual in an attempt to wake up. Normally, she exercised before work, but the first time her alarm went off, she soon realized leaving the warmth of her bed with Peeta beside her was going to be impossible, so she'd quickly reset her clock for a later wakeup call.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Katniss proceeded to wash her hair and soap up her body, then she carefully shaved her legs and underarms. Afterward, she grudgingly pulled herself away from the hot water and dried off, wrapping her hair in a towel before she quietly moved through her bedroom in her robe, careful not to wake Peeta again. She got a pot of coffee started and quickly ate her standard breakfast of oatmeal and a banana, then she poured a cup of the black liquid for herself and another for Peeta, leaving his black and adding some creamer to her own. Balancing the mugs in her hands, she tiptoed back into her bedroom. Peeta was splayed on his back now, his arms shoved up under the pillow. Smiling to herself, she set her cup on the nightstand and carefully crawled onto the bed to straddle his waist. She gingerly placed a hand on his chest, threading her fingers through the dusting of chest hair.

"Peeta," she murmured soothingly, shaking him slightly, and his eyes fluttered open to lock on her face questioningly. She gestured to the mug. "Made you some coffee." He inhaled deeply and rubbed his face, shaking the sleep off, then he sat up to accept the coffee from her. "Black, right?"

He nodded as he took a tentative sip. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice gravelly, after he'd swallowed, taking another eager sip. She nodded and leaned over to grab her cup, shifting off his lap to sit beside him. Sipping her own coffee, she glanced sideways at him and wrinkled her nose playfully.

"I don't know how you can drink that straight," she teased, and he smiled sleepily, shaking his head.

"Used to it, I guess. I get enough sugar in all the pastries I eat," he said. She bit her lip, drawing her knees up to her chest; just listening to his voice in the morning was an aphrodisiac. The husky tone was enough to send curls of heat right to her core. Setting her cup down again, she unwrapped the towel from her head and bent forward slightly to towel dry her hair, casually dropping the damp towel on the floor next to her bed. She noticed Peeta was watching her when she sat up, and she smiled at him, earning one in return.

"Sleep okay?" she asked conversationally, and he nodded, scratching his beard lazily.

"You?"

"Yes, very well," she replied, bringing her knees up again. For some reason, she always slept so much more deeply next to him, which was weird because normally she was a more fretful sleeper when she shared the bed with boyfriends, especially in the beginning of relationships. It helped that Peeta hardly moved or made a sound in his sleep, but his warmth and presence was just oddly comforting.

And maybe he just wore her out more than past lovers, she thought with a smirk.

Peeta leaned over suddenly, resting a hand on her thigh and dipping his head to plant a kiss on her knee. Her stomach fluttered, and she grinned down at him, tangling her fingers in his curls for a brief moment before he pulled away. He was a little less guarded right after waking up, it seemed. Not wanting to end the moment, she shifted closer to him and wrapped herself around his side while he continued to drink his coffee, propping her chin on his shoulder. He kept his hand on her leg, squeezing it absently.

"Are we okay?" she asked suddenly, thinking about the previous night and her reaction to his confession about his STD testing. She felt stupid immediately afterward, and now, though the jealousy over another woman touching him still remained. Another woman who was apparently a more fun and adventurous and kinkier lover than she was. She swallowed the rising bitterness, trying to reign in her emotions.

He furrowed his brow, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "What do you mean?"

She sighed. "I just feel kind of stupid about last night and how I reacted. I guess it seems silly now," she laughed lightly, though it was humorless. He was quiet for a moment before putting his coffee down and twisting toward her, his face serious.

"I mean, I thought we settled it last night, but I'm not mad. I'm fine." He searched her face, apprehensive. "Are you fine?"

She shrugged, unprepared for the question. She hadn't been thinking of it in those exact terms. Was she fine? She wasn't sure. She knew she had a jealous streak, always had, but her anger with him last night, however irrational at the moment, went deeper than him letting an ex-girlfriend fondle his dick; she knew that much.

But it was too early for that sort of self-reflection, and she certainly didn't want to get into it right before she had to go to work. "I'm okay," she hedged, squeezing his bicep reassuringly, and he kissed the top of her head, his hand idly stroking her bare leg. She shivered, her clitoris vibrating in response. She knew she didn't have time for sex, but she began fluttering kisses along his shoulder and neck, anyway. He sighed, closing his eyes and angling his neck to allow her access. She paused at the nasty-looking mark she'd left on him last night and kissed it tenderly; she'd forgotten how much more sensitive his skin was than hers. After caressing it with her lips, she move up to his ear. "We've never had morning sex, have we?" she mused, and he chuckled gruffly, his ears turning pink.

"No, uh, well, not right after waking up, I guess," he said quietly, turning his face toward hers. With a quick smile, she captured his lips with hers and kissed him thoroughly, nearly pulling herself into his lap. The coffee taste was bitter and hot on his tongue, but she sucked on it eagerly, anyway, moaning softly. Peeta's teeth scraped at her lips, his beard scratching her chin as his tongue dipped into her mouth repeatedly before he withdrew with a sharp inhale, curling his fingers through her wet hair. "When do you have to leave for work?"

Dazed, Katniss glanced at the clock, then sighed. "In 15 minutes, but I gotta get dressed and finish getting ready still," she said regretfully. He nodded sadly, stealing one last kiss and releasing her.

"Another time, maybe?" he offered shyly as she slid out of the bed. She flashed him a grin, brazenly untying her rob and shrugging it off so she was completely nude before him.

"Tomorrow's Saturday," she suggested, nonchalantly moving to her dresser to grab underwear but conscious of the way his gaze followed her. "If you're open tonight..."

"Wide open," he answered immediately, the mild growl in his voice thrilling her. But as she stepped into her panties, she remembered her dinner plans with Johanna for later tonight.

"Oh, damn," she groaned. "I forgot Johanna and I are grabbing some drinks and dinner late tonight."

Peeta's face dropped, but he shrugged. "Ah, that's fine. If you're busy..." His eyes were still fixated on her breasts.

She fished out a bra as she thought. "Well, I can just come by your place after—is that okay? Or do you think you'll have plans?" she asked, slipping the bra on and hooking it in the back. He took a sip of his coffee.

"I'll be around, but, I mean, don't cut your plans short for my sake—" he started, but she cut him off, kneeling on the edge of the bed.

"I'm not. But I know once you start work, you're gonna be pretty busy," she said softly. "Finding time to see each other then is gonna be tough enough, so I just want to spend as much time with you as possible." Swallowing thickly, Peeta nodded, and she smiled again before licking at his mouth, drawing him into another kiss. At this rate, she was going to be late, but she didn't care. Unconsciously, she moved closer between his legs, and when she felt his erection against her knee, she dropped her hand to rub him through his boxer-briefs.

He moaned against her lips. "Katniss," he groaned raggedly, an edge of warning to his voice, and she giggled lightly.

"Sorry," she murmured, mercifully withdrawing her hand, and she forced herself to get off the bed. "Next time I need to remember to allow myself more time in the morning when you're over," she mused out loud, disappearing into her closet to find something to wear.

* * *

"Ugh, I don't know if this guy's gonna work out, Jo," Katniss complained, sipping her pale ale. "But I don't really have a choice until Marie gets back from maternity leave."

Johanna arched an eyebrow, scooping a nacho chip loaded with cheese and beans and sour cream into her mouth. "When is that?" she asked, her question muffled as she chewed obnoxiously. Katniss wrinkled her nose as she thought.

"July 18th, I think, so more than a month away," she sighed, reaching across the table to pick a glob of cheese off the plate. Johanna slapped at her hand, but Katniss popped it in her mouth anyway, smiling smugly. Her friend glowered at her good-naturedly.

"Hey, I offered to split it earlier, and you said no. You don't get to change your mind now," she barked, and Katniss shrugged.

"I'd already eaten! You were late, and I was tired of waiting," she complained. "I can't resist nachos though."

Johanna rolled her eyes and took a swig of her beer. "So what's wrong with this guy exactly?"

Katniss made a face, pursing her lips. "He's not awful. I just have to constantly go behind him and fix his errors in the lab or remind him how to do things. He asks so many questions, things he should already know how to do. I just don't have time to babysit him."

Johanna furrowed her brow. "Then why did you hire him?"

"It was just temporary. I didn't expect Marie to go into labor so early, so I didn't really have a lot of time to vet the candidates! He seemed the best choice at the time," Katniss sulked, slumping down in her booth seat. "Marie just spoiled me. I never had to micromanage her. I hate doing that."

"Well, suck it up, buttercup," Johanna taunted with a toothy grin before shoving another nacho in her mouth. Katniss scowled and sipped her beer.

"Your compassion takes my breath away, Jo," she said drolly.

"Whatever—it's Friday. Enough about work. I'm bored, but I'm sure we can find more interesting things to talk about," Johanna quipped, then she raised an eyebrow. "Like your sex life. Was I having a stroke last weekend, or did I see you leave the wedding with a one Mr. Peeta Mellark?"

Heat flooded her face, but Katniss rolled her eyes. "_Dr._ Peeta Mellark," she corrected snidely, unable to stop her smile.

"Oh, excuse me. Do you call each other that in bed?" Johanna shot back, and Katniss narrowed her eyes at her.

"Why do you assume we had sex?" she challenged; she didn't have a problem with Johanna knowing, but this was just typical of their rapport.

Johanna fixed her with a look. "Because you're you." Katniss' mouth parted incredulously before she glared at her with mock indignation, flicking a stray black bean at her friend. Johanna just snorted with laughter, brushing the bean off her shirt.

"You're worse than Prim," Katniss griped, and then she sighed. "If you must know—yes, we hooked up last weekend. And...we're dating again."

Johanna's eyes widened. "Damn, Everdeen. You move fast."

Katniss shrugged. "We've dated before. It's not that weird. There's none of that awkward getting-to-know-each-other stage again, not really."

Johanna shook her head. "Maybe not, but—you mean to tell me you don't want to kick his ass after what happened in college?" she asked bluntly, sipping her beer. Katniss shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Uhhh—I don't know. It was a long time ago, I guess," she deflected. "I'm not trying to dredge up the past."

But the truth was...if she was being honest with herself, she was still kind of mad about it. She knew she'd made a few missteps in their relationship back then, but nothing warranted his treatment of her during and after the breakup. It had been wholly unfair the way he'd dropped her like that, cutting her out of his life and completely ignoring her for six years, without so much as an explanation; he hadn't even had the decency to tell her he was dumping her.

And she tried not to hold grudges, and she really thought she'd moved past all that, but the hurt and anger over the breakup still festered. Part of her wanted to confront him about it, just for her own peace of mind, but another part was afraid of screwing things up already. Sometimes it was just easier to act like things were fine.

But if last night was any indication, she didn't know if pretending was really an option anymore.

"Well, it's your life," Johanna dismissed, munching on another chip. "I'm your friend, I care about you, yada yada—now to the good stuff." She grinned deviously. "Tell me about the sex."

Throwing her head back, Katniss laughed heartily. That was one area of her life she had no problem discussing.

* * *

Katniss knocked earnestly on Peeta's door, earning a muffled, "Come in!" She tried the knob and, finding it unlocked, she twisted it open, poking her head inside. Peeta was on the couch playing a video game, but he quickly paused it and craned his neck to look back at her.

"Uh, hey, sorry," he said, starting to stand up, but she waved him off, shutting the door behind her.

"No need to get up," she told him, slipping her sandals off before joining him on the couch. "I don't mean to interrupt your game." Still, she grabbed his face and pressed a kiss to his mouth. He smiled at her when she pulled back, her hands lingering on his cheeks to stroke his scruff-lined jaw. He had trimmed earlier, apparently.

"It's my fault. I knew you were on your way, but I got caught up," he said apologetically, and she just shrugged, lying back across the couch and propping her feet up in his lap.

"It's okay, keep playing," she encouraged him, reclining her head on the arm of the sofa.

He smiled at her gratefully and briefly rubbed her foot. "Thanks. I'm almost finished." Squeezing her toes, he unpaused his game and continued playing. With a soft sigh, she closed her eyes for a moment and absentmindedly rubbed the ball of her foot on his thigh. "Uh, how was—how was your thing with Johanna?" he asked distractedly, glancing between her and the TV screen. She opened her eyes.

"It was good. We just talked and drank, you know, girl stuff." Wrinkling her nose, Katniss unbuttoned her jeans to relieve the pressure and discomfort of her pants on her stomach. "Ugh, so full," she complained, mostly to herself, as she rubbed her bloated belly. "I shouldn't have had that second beer." Peeta's gaze lingered on her stomach before he forced his eyes away, smiling to himself. She nudged his leg. "How was your day?"

"Uhhh, you're basically looking at it," he chuckled sheepishly. "I ran some errands this morning, but I got sidetracked with this game this afternoon, and, um...been kinda useless ever since."

She smiled at him, dragging her foot up to his armpit to tease him. He made a face at her, grabbing her foot. "Well, don't let me distract you." He hooked his elbow around her foot to hold it in place, his fingers still moving across the controller in his hands; he was quiet for a moment before he suddenly shook his head, tossing the controller down.

"Aw, fuck it," he huffed, yanking on her foot to pull her closer. She squeaked in surprise as he settled between her open legs, twisting his body so he was half on top of her, and he smiled at her. "Even when you're trying not to be, you're still a distraction."

She laughed, running her hands up and down his arms. "Sorry. I'm just the worst, aren't I?" she said, feigning a pout, and he shook his head.

"Hardly," he muttered, brushing some hair off her face and smoothing the lock between two of his fingers. She watched his face, his eyes trailing the path of his hand. "How was work?"

She sighed, ready to launch into her earlier rant but paused and thought better of it. "It was kind of shitty overall, I guess, but I feel like I did enough complaining about it with Johanna tonight. Is it okay if I save you my whining for the night?" she asked, smiling slightly. "I just don't feel like wasting time rehashing it again, that's all."

His lips were pursed, but he nodded. "Um, yeah, that's fine. But if you want to talk about it, I don't mind listening."

Scrunching her nose, she reached up to lace her fingers together behind his neck. "I know, and I'll keep that in mind." She arched up to press a kiss to the tip of his nose. "So tell me—in what ways am I a distraction, exactly?"

He tugged on her hair. "Well...when your hair is down, all I can think about is running my hands through it," he said, demonstrating his point by combing his hand through a section of her raven locks. She smiled up at him, her eyebrow quirking playfully.

"S'that it—just running your hands through it?"

A shy grin spread his mouth open wider. "Maybe a little more..." At that, he wrapped a section around his hand and gave it a firm tug, pulling her head back. She gasped out a pleased laugh, the action sending a jolt of electric pleasure to her center, and she squeezed his waist between her thighs. Peeta dipped his mouth to worry her exposed neck with his lips, but then he pulled back abruptly.

"Oh, um, I wanted to show you," he started as he sat up slightly, grabbing his wallet off the coffee table. She watched him with a curious dip of her eyebrows while he fumbled through the pockets of his wallet, pulling out a folded sheet of paper. He smoothed it out and gave it to her, a sheepish look on his face. "I, uh, got the paper results for my tests to show you. Just so you could be sure. I mean, I thought you'd still want to see for yourself."

Her eyes scanned the paper after she took it from him, and, satisfied, she handed it back to him with a slight smile. "Thanks."

He put it aside with his wallet, but his face was solemn. "Um, thank you for trusting me. Last night. You didn't have to. I would've understood..."

Katniss shrugged. Maybe she shouldn't have, no. She couldn't explain it, but for some reason she did trust him. It went against her better judgment, but he'd proven himself to be trustworthy. "I believed you. I don't know, you were never a deceptive person. You have such an unassuming face," she said, smiling as she playfully poked at his cheeks. He blushed, swatting her hand away.

"I just—for what it's worth, I'm always safe. I mean, ever since you, that's just, um, something I'm very careful about. I learned that from you, so, I, uh...well, I just really appreciate that. Um."

Her smile grew stiff and uncomfortable, and when she felt it slipping, she forced it back into place. She couldn't stop her mind from flashing to Clove—and everything he had learned from _her_. "Well, I'm glad I could be remembered for something," she said, more drily than she'd intended, and concern flooded his eyes.

"Huh? What do you mean?" he asked, but she was already shaking her head, annoyed with herself. She didn't want to waste time being petulant.

"Nothing, just a joke," she murmured, tugging on his neck to bring his mouth to hers. She could still feel the tension in his lips as they slanted against her mouth, and she tried to kiss it away, her teeth nipping at his bottom lip. But he persisted.

"Katniss," he tried again, even as his tongue swiped against hers. She sighed against his lips, pressing another kiss to them again before she withdrew.

His eyes were on hers, searching her face. She pursed her lips, idly twisting her fingers in the curls at the nape of his neck. "I just...How did you learn—all those things? In bed?" She frowned at the inarticulate phrasing. "I mean, how did you first get into it? How did you get started?" she asked.

His mouth drooped into a frown. "Um, I'm confused what you're asking exactly..."

Katniss lifted her shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. "Well...I guess I'm just intrigued. I want to know how to do it, too. How did you start?"

His brow furrowed, and he sat up with a heavy inhale. "Are you—I mean, are you wanting to do it, too?" he asked, the questioning lilt to his voice revealing his confusion.

She pushed up into a sitting position. "Yeah, I think so. I like when you do it. But...I want to be in control, too. Sometimes. You like that, too, don't you?"

There was a slight flush to his cheeks—embarrassment? arousal? But he nodded. "Yeah, I do. Um...yeah, I enjoyed that...in college. With you."

She smiled at that. "So...you can teach me what you do. And we can switch off," she said, rubbing his thigh suggestively. He smiled at that, sliding his hand up her leg to grip her hip, and he leaned toward her for a kiss. She held him in place as she swept her tongue into his mouth, the kiss growing more heated this time. This was a much better use of time instead of worrying about his sexual experiences with other women.

Peeta's lips slid against hers wetly, his breaths coming out in hot pants around her tongue. "So, um...now?" he mumbled between kisses. She grinned against his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Now."

* * *

He had her stripped naked and laid out on his bed in no time. She watched him as he slowly disrobed, his eyes riveted to her nude form. Her hands ghosted up and down her sides before cupping her breasts, her hardened nipples dragging against her palms. Her sharp inhale echoed his, and he groaned at the sight. "Keep doing that," he encouraged gruffly, tugging his shirt over his head and stepping out of his pants. She hummed her acquiescence, plucking at her nipples. She hitched her knees up toward the ceiling and spread her legs so he could see the wetness seeping from her, but he narrowed his eyes as he climbed onto the bed. Wrapping his hands around her ankles, he jerked her legs back down to the mattress. "I didn't tell you to move," he scolded, and she sighed in mild frustration, even as his reprimand prickled her skin with a pleasant chill.

"But I'm so wet for you," she breathed, squeezing her breasts and squirming slightly. He smirked, and his eyes darkened.

"Just wait. I'm gonna get you so wet, it's dripping down your thighs."

She moaned at his words, closing her eyes. "Tell me what to do, Peeta." She felt him move over top of her, and she opened her eyes to find his face level with hers.

"Keep touching your breasts," he commanded, smoothing a hand over her face. "But not your pussy, not yet. And keep your legs open."

Katniss whimpered as she pinched and flicked her nipples, inhaling deeply. Her clit was throbbing painfully at this point. "I want you to touch me..."

"This isn't about what you want, Katniss. This is about what I want to do to you," he reminded her, his voice low. She was still continuously amazed at how confident he was with sex now. Peeta continued, his thumb dragging across her bottom lip, "But we should agree on a safe word first, just in case. I should have insisted on that the first night we dabbled in this, but, uh, guess I got caught up and everything..."

She blinked at him as she tried to process his statement. "Oh. 'Kay. Um...what should we use?" she asked before his thumb pushed past her lips; she sucked on it greedily.

"Just a random word, something easy to remember," he said distractedly, his nostrils flaring as she laved his thumb with her tongue. When he went to withdraw his thumb, she tugged on the tip with her teeth, then licked her lips. He seemed to change his mind. "Actually, I read about another method, the traffic light system. I haven't done it before, though."

"What does that mean?" she asked, feeling a little foolish for not knowing.

"Red, yellow, green. Red when you want me to stop, yellow when you want me to slow down or be a little more careful, and green when you want me to keep going. Does that make sense?" he asked, and she nodded. "Just tell me red or yellow when things get to be too much, okay?"

"Okay," she whispered, her lips curling into a smile. "Is the goal to get me to scream 'green' over and over?"

He snorted, an amused smirk spreading across his face. "Uh, I'd prefer my name, but sure, if you feel so inclined," he agreed, then he captured her mouth with his again. She forgot his earlier command to keep touching herself, releasing her breasts to grab his shoulders and pull his body closer to hers as they kissed. His erection pressed against her center through his boxer-briefs, but when she inadvertently began rubbing herself against him, he pushed her back down to the bed, breaking the kiss. "Ahh, no, not yet," he chastised, and she sighed, dropping her hands to the bed.

"Fine. Now what?"

He sat back, tracing his hands down her breasts and sides until he reached her wrists, then he grabbed them and positioned them above her head, much like he had the night of the wedding. She chewed on her bottom lip, obediently keeping them in place when he released her. "I'm going to tie you up now," he said, his tone firm but accommodating, leaving her room to object if she wanted to. She didn't, keeping her eyes on him as he stood up from the bed and walked to his closet. Clasping her hands together, she stretched leisurely with a pleased sigh as she watched the movements of his ass while he dug through his closet.

He returned with a handful of ties, and she smiled, her face lighting up with excitement. He grinned at the look she was giving him and kneeled down on the bed to bind her hands together above her head. Her breath hitched as he moved down to the foot of the bed, methodically tying her feet to the footboard so she was spread eagle before him. He heard her sharp inhale and looked at her with concern. "You still okay with this?" he asked softly, pausing as he hands fumbled to tighten a knot. She flashed him an encouraging smile.

"Mmhmm," she breathed, and he continued. "So, how far down the rabbit hole have you gone?"

"Hm?" he asked, shifting on the bed to move back over her. "What do you mean?"

Katniss reflexively pulled against her restraints, testing how tight they were. They held fast. "What all have you done?"

"Oh." He seemed a little embarrassed, and he hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck before he shook his head. "Uh, nothing too outrageous, I guess. Binding, spanking, biting, whipping." She nodded, her eyes fluttering closed as he caressed the side of her face, but his hand faltered when he dragged it down her neck. "Um, some...breath play."

She blinked her eyes open to look at his face. "Breath play—choking?"

He let out a tired breath. "Yeah. Uh, Clove was into that. But I didn't enjoy it. I didn't feel like myself doing it, like I could easily lose control. I kind of...scared myself. So I don't do that anymore."

Her stomach twisted at the thought, the light pressure of his fingers on her collarbone suddenly heavy. She couldn't picture someone as sweet as Peeta using those hands in such a brutal manner. "Yeah, uh, let's stick with the basics then," she said, and the corner of his mouth curled up slightly.

"My thoughts exactly."

At that, his hand slipped down to cup her breast roughly, his palm molding the mound with deliberate precision and care. Her moan dissolved into plaintive keening when he dipped his mouth to her other breast, sucking her protruding nipple into his mouth. His teeth scraped over the hardened bud repeatedly, making her buck up against him, but the ties held her legs down. He twisted her other nipple suddenly, and she yelped as the pain pulsed through every nerve ending down to her clit. Peeta halted his movements, however, lifting his head so he was eye level with her. "Remember, if this becomes too much, let me know," he murmured. "Otherwise…"

She nodded eagerly, desperate for him to continue. "It feels good," she whispered, parting her lips when he coaxed her into a kiss. His attention then returned to her breasts, his hands molding around them as he kneaded harshly. She whimpered into his mouth when he twisted her nipples again, releasing them to drag his fingertips down to her hips where he gripped her tightly.

Peeta broke the kiss. "Do you want me to touch you?" he asked, teasingly sweeping his thumb back and forth over the line of her hipbone. She nodded, and he smirked. "Not just yet," he drawled, scooting down to draw the tip of her breast back into his mouth; his beard tickled the soft skin of her breasts. Katniss sighed, arching against him and straining against the restraints. This was torture, not being able to move. But exquisite torture. Her hands were bound, but she could still lower her arms, so she reached down to tug on his hair. He nipped at the pebbled bud in his mouth and pushed her arms back over her head and down to the mattress. "Keep them up," he ordered, his voice muffled around her breast, and she clasped her hands together, squeezing her palms together tightly.

"Peeta," she mewled, the attentions of his mouth and teeth to her breasts causing her to wriggle impatiently. She could feel the wetness leaking from her, and she ached for him to touch her. But she bit her lip to stop the plea. Was she allowed to beg? Was that part of her role? She couldn't restrain herself anymore. "_Please_, Peeta," she gasped.

Finally, he lifted his head and moved his hand between her open legs, grazing his fingers through her folds and plunging them inside her. She cried out but immediately began gyrating against his hand as he pumped his index and middle fingers inside her, slowly but forcefully. His thumb idly traced her clit but refrained from applying any real pressure to relieve her. She was panting by now. "Peeta—_ngh_, that—feels good, but—" she grunted brokenly, trying to angle her hips in such a way to force his ministrations where she wanted them, but he slipped his fingers out of her then, making her whimper in disappointment.

"You're so wet," he mused, rubbing his thumb against his slick fingers, then he arched an eyebrow at her. "You want a taste?" She blinked at him but nodded her head, opening her lips so he could slip his fingers into her mouth. "Suck them," he ordered, and she closed her lips around them, eagerly sucking her own tangy arousal off his fingers. She moaned as she locked eyes with him, hollowing her cheeks to clean the digits off, dragging her teeth over his knuckles. His eyes darkened considerably, his jaw clenching and his nostrils flaring. He slid his fingers out with a wet 'pop,' and she smiled wickedly at him.

Groaning, he captured her mouth in a searing kiss; he swallowed her moans as he suckled her tongue greedily before sweeping his tongue past her lips to caress her teeth, the roof of her mouth. Her lips felt bruised when he pulled away, panting; he threaded his fingers through her hair, and she gasped when he jerked her head back to present her neck to his lips. When his tongue found the sweet spot near her ear, she bucked against him, encouraging him to suck harder, to dig his teeth into the tender flesh. "Yes," she hissed, her limbs going taut when he bit down harder.

She was unprepared for his hand falling between her legs right then, his fingers on her clit eliciting an embarrassingly loud moan. But she didn't care, as relieved as she was that he was finally giving her what she wanted with rough, purposeful strokes on the swollen nerve; her hips circled desperately against his hand since she couldn't rock upward.

"Oh, god, yes," she gasped, the pleasure surging fast. But he stopped then, shoving his fingers inside her roughly. She arched off the bed from the shock, her pelvis reflexively undulating in time with the movements of his fingers, and she groaned her disappointment as the building relief slipped away. "_Peeta_."

He chuckled, actually chuckled. "We're not done yet. You'll come soon, but when I want you to. I want you to beg first."

She looked down at him, her eyes plaintive. "Please make me come, Peeta," she whined, but he shook his head.

"You can do better than that, Katniss."

Defiance flared up inside her at his words, but she quickly deflated when he began stroking her clitoris again. "Fuck—yes!" she moaned, squeezing her eyes shut as she chased after the elusive pleasure again. But every time she got close to coming, it was as if Peeta could sense it, and he would cease his attack on her clit to pump his fingers inside her or tease her nipples instead.

She didn't know how much time passed in this state of near-orgasm, minutes, hours, days; she wanted to scream at him, to cry. It seemed like no amount of begging persuaded him. She could actually feel the tears of frustration pooling in the corner of her eyes by then, and she slipped her bound hands between the mattress and the headboard to grip the bottom edge of the wood; she squeezed so hard, she was sure she could feel small splinters piercing her skin.

She couldn't take it anymore; she debated telling him to stop, but her own stubbornness held her tongue. Not yet, not yet—she had something to prove to him, to herself.

"Peeta, please, _please_, I want to come, please let me come," she practically sobbed as his fingers once again slipped inside her, stroking her walls; she felt water trickle down her temples where tears leaked from her eyes.

He leaned over her then, his breath hot on her face. His fingers moved slowly inside her, teasingly. "You wanna come?" he asked, his voice breathy.

"Yes!" she yelled at him, squeezing the headboard, but her body jolted when he made contact with her clit again. Suddenly, he was growling in her ear.

"Then I wanna hear you scream when you come, sweetheart."

His fingers moved fast, much faster than before, and she felt the pleasure building and cresting, almost before she had time to prepare for it. Her back bowed, her walls spasmed, and she nearly knocked her head against his nose as she lurched off the bed, her shout echoing through his room. His body kept hers pinned to the bed, however, his fingers still rubbing her clit while she shuddered and panted until another smaller orgasm seized through her.

"Fuck, fuck," she gasped, her head lolling from side to side; her clit throbbed with the mild aftershocks, but her body went slack, like she was melting into the bed. She wasn't aware of Peeta moving away until she finally forced her eyes open to see him stripping out of his boxer-briefs and sheathing a condom on his cock. She moaned softly at the sight, so beyond ready to feel it inside her.

Peeta didn't waste any time climbing back on top of her; he had his cock positioned between her folds, and then he plunged inside her with one forceful roll of his hips. Katniss moaned, his girth stretching her walls way beyond what his fingers could do, but he didn't give her any time to adjust as he began thrusting.

"Shit," he grunted, grabbing a hold of her hips as he slammed into her. "You're so tight and wet, Katniss. So, so perfect."

She whimpered, squeezing his cock with her walls in response; she tried to match the rhythm and enthusiasm of his thrusts, but her body felt too sated, too exhausted to keep up with his pace. "Peeta," she mumbled, forcing her eyes to stay open so she could watch his face. He was watching her, too, as he moved above her, but he stopped abruptly to sit back on his haunches, quickly untying her feet to release them. Then he hooked his arms under her knees and brought them up to her chest, pushing back into her. She grunted as she adjusted to the position, arching underneath him as he slid in deeper. She closed her eyes then, focusing on the way he filled her, on the light pants and growls that slipped past his lips, her name tumbling out every now and then.

He was so big, so encompassing, the head of his cock grazing her cervix as he pounded into her, but she gritted her teeth against the pain and bucked up against him, oddly hypnotized by the sound their slick skin made as their bodies collided. "Fuck, Peeta, that—oh god," she gasped incoherently, and he grunted in response.

"I'm gonna come," he warned finally, swiveling his hips faster, and she nodded frantically, pulsing her walls around him to encourage him.

"Please come," she moaned, and he slammed his hips into her a few more times before stilling, gasping raggedly as he spilled himself into the condom. She panted for air while she waited for him to finish, his cock throbbing inside her, and then he released her legs. With a groan, she dropped them to the bed, trying to stretch out her muscles; they felt cramped from the restraints and the position he'd had her in. The skin around her ankles looked slightly irritated and pink, raw from how much she'd thrashed against the ties. Sighing contentedly, Peeta pulled out of her and fumbled with the tie around her wrists. When he had it unknotted, he pulled her hands apart, gently massaging them. She glanced up at him to find him staring down at her, his face soft.

"You okay?" he murmured in question, and she nodded, managing a weak smile. She felt too spent for anything more than that, but she accepted the kiss he placed on her lips. "Good." He moved off her then, standing up and disappearing into his bathroom. Her eyes felt heavy, so she closed them; she was startled a moment later when she felt the bed shift, opening her eyes to find Peeta hovering over her with a washcloth. He laughed at her startled look. "Uh, I think you fell asleep," he said, using the damp washcloth to clean between her thighs.

She inhaled deeply, enjoying the care with which he washed her. "I guess so," she whispered, closing her eyes again. After he finished cleaning her off, Peeta lay down beside her and gathered her into his arms. She rested her head on his chest, listening to the soft pounding of his heart. His hands stroked her hair, her arms, her back, lulling her into a state of semi-awakeness. "I'm sorry; I feel so tired," she mumbled against his skin, and he hummed a response.

"Yeah, I bet." He kissed the top of her head, and she snuggled closer, clinging to him as she felt a rush of affection for him. "It's okay. You can sleep now if you want."

So she did.

* * *

_Follow me on tumblr: . I try to keep followers updated on my progress of this story with previews, and I also write some drabbles from time to time that I don't necessarily post on here._


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